


The State of Things

by sonata_de_morte



Category: Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood & Manga
Genre: Companionable Snark, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-10-31
Updated: 2013-10-31
Packaged: 2017-12-31 00:51:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 815
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1025390
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sonata_de_morte/pseuds/sonata_de_morte
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sometimes Roy can still be surprised.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The State of Things

Roy had long ago given up on being surprised by the single-minded way his lover applied himself to his reading. He’s seen him read through meetings, performance reviews, physicals, and on one memorable occasion, a thunderstorm so bad that it had knocked out the power in the whole city. Ed had only noticed  _that_ because it had eventually gotten too dark to see anything, a fact that Edward had highly resented.

The point was that now Roy could only be amused about the situation that he had found himself in. Namely, serving as a cushion for the younger man while he gave all of his attention to the book he was reading because the bench they were sitting on had been quote, ‘too damned hard and too damned cold’. This happened enough when they were together at either Roy’s house or the apartment that Ed shared with his brother that the fact that it was happening now, in the middle of the largest park in Central, was just another thing to add to the list of 'Things That No Longer Fazed Roy Mustang' (which included such gems as ‘Ed eats like a starving man no matter when his last meal was’ and ‘Ed will inevitably end up with all of the blankets no matter which side of the bed he sleeps on’).

Briefly, Roy thought about making a comment about Ed’s abysmal posture because the way he was slouched in Roy’s lap  _had_ to be uncomfortable, but either the comment would go unnoticed or he would get yelled at for his concern. So he just rested his chin on the top of Ed’s head and wrapped an arm around to touch Ed’s stomach, holding him close as he watched the afternoon sky and the way the leave rustled in the chill breeze.

Ed made a discontent noise and slouched lower, tucking his face more into the layers of the scarf that he had wound several times around his neck.

“Cold?” Roy asked, fully expecting to be ignored.

“Yeah. A little,” Ed murmured back, and Roy smiled.

“Do you want to go home, then? Perhaps your brother will make us hot chocolate if we ask nicely.”

“Nah. You’re warm enough for now. Hot chocolate later, though.”

Roy’s smile widened. “Cushion and space heater. I must be moving up in the world.”

Ed snorted and aimed a kick back at Roy’s leg, with his flesh foot, thank goodness because Roy had enough automail bruises. “I should demote you to pack mule and make you carry me home,” he threatened. “Can’t have you getting a swelled head. Well. Any more swelled than it already is.”

“The abuse I take from you is almost criminal, my dear Edward. When I’m fuhrer that will have to stop.”

“When you’re fuhrer, it’s gonna be more necessary because you’ll be even more big headed with half the damned country fawning all over you.”

“If that’s what you think then I have taught you nothing about politics.”

Ed huffed a laugh. “Well, I never listen when you talk about that shit anyway,” he replied.

Roy rolled his eyes and then moved his head until he could see Edward’s face. His eyes were fixed on the book, moving rapidly from word to word with the same narrow focus that was always present when someone put words in front of Edward.

“How are you doing that?” Roy wanted to know.

“Doing what?”

“Reading and carrying on a conversation. Usually I can’t get a word out of you when your nose is in a book.”

“I got tired of hearing you complain about me ignoring you,” Ed answered with a shrug. “So I learned to multi-task. Talking to you takes about as much brain power as tying my shoes, anyway.”

Silence reigned and Roy took that in. “First of all, I stopped complaining about that weeks ago when I saw it was a lost cause, and second,  _what_?”

“I was implying that talking to you is something I can do without even having to think about it.”

“No, not that,” Roy said, prodding Ed in the side. “You learned to multi-task? As in read and understand everything you’re reading  _and_ have side conversations?”

“Yes,” Edward said slowly, as if Roy were a particularly dimwitted child. “No one’s going to make you fuhrer if you’re always this slow on the uptake, Mustang.”

For a moment, Roy entertained the idea of retorting in kind, but then discarded it, smiling and dropping a kiss to Edward’s head. “Well, I suppose that’s why I have you, my very dearest. To do my thinking for me.”

“Sap,” Ed said, snorting again. But he reached for Roy’s hand, pulling his arm tighter around his body and leaning back fully against him, and Roy, who apparently  _could_  still be surprised from time to time, just smiled and watched the leaves fall around them.


End file.
